About the Computer and Information Technology Major

Just what is a major in Computer and Information Technology? CIT is a cutting
edge program rooted and grounded in courses that are both highly theoretical
while also extremely applied in nature. Students are constantly exposed to the
latest technology and trends in class making them immediately employable upon
graduation. A major in Computer and Information Technology provides graduates
with the necessary tools and skills to succeed in today's global,
technology-driven world. Graduates are able to specialize in one of four areas:

computer application development

web application development

computer forensics

game development

CIT graduates' skills are highly marketable and graduates are prepared for
careers in literally any of today's industries that use IT. The integrated
nature of the educational experience enables graduates to combine their IT
skills with the intellectual flexibility needed to be critical thinkers and
problem solvers. They are also effective communicators able to interact with
clients, coworkers and managers.

IST Faculty work to help students develop:

communication, critical thinking and team skills through collaborative learning

real-life employable skills through hands-on experience

provide students access to emerging technologies

Even so, CIT is not Computer Science. While CIT has strong roots in CS and the
study of computers in general, there are important distinctions between the two
disciplines, from professional and curricular perspectives.

Professional Aspect: Computer science students typically are motivated
by the computer itself and how it works through an engineering perspective. In
other words, computer scientists are interested in how the computer works under
the hood. Information technologists, on the other hand, are intrigued by using
the computer to solve problems. Information technologists identify needs for
technology, which the computer scientists and engineers create. Information
Technologists would then help people to use the CS professionals' creations
effectively. CIT does not focus on a single domain, but instead focuses on the
selection, integration and deployment of computers and technology throughout
society in the areas of computer application development, web application
development, computer forensics, and game development. CS focuses on producing
graduate/PhD students or software engineers.

Curricular Aspect: Computer science curriculums have a stronger
emphasis on programming and hardware than in the Computer and Information
Technology curriculum. CIT students obviously need to be able to build software
applications and systems, but the typical CIT project will involve building
software from existing components with high-level languages such as
Visual Basic .NET, C++, or C# and applying an accessible interface, rather than
engineering large applications from scratch, focusing on software engineering
principles, data structures and algorithm development issues.

Another significant difference in the disciplines is that a computer curriculum
is seen as being deeper in the sense that intermediate and advanced courses
require more prerequisites. CIT courses typically have a flatter prerequisite
structure, which allows non-technical majors to take CIT courses to add to
their learning, tool set, and even lead to a minor. A major in Computer and
Information Technology provides a solid grounding in the information technology
field and allows students to select and complete an area of emphasis in
computer application development, computer forensics, web application
development, or game development.